Porter’s Deploys Tablet-Based POS

With a promotional website, a Pinterest page and two stores, specialty crafts retailer Porter’s Craft & Frame is a small company supporting some big plans with a new tablet-based POS platform from Springboard Retail.

“Until recently, we used a PC-based POS system and used tablets to record information on products we bought at trade shows,” said Alex Nielsen, general manager of Porter’s, Rexburg, Idaho. “We had some laptops on carts in stores.”

However, in September 2014, Porter’s replaced 15 fixed POS terminals in its stores with Springboard POS tablets. The company is also now using iPads with wireless scanners for collecting order information on the store floor. According to Nielsen, the new tablet-based POS system offers practical advantages like cheaper and easier setup. Porter’s is also looking down the road at some bigger advantages, as well.

“The future is cloud-based,” said Nielsen. “You don’t have to worry about infrastructure. There is a lot of opportunity in tying the organization together.”

Reaching the Back End: So far, other opportunities have included freeing store managers to spend more time focused on merchandising rather than managing prices, as well as creating a more disciplined, Web portal-based system for entering reports. Nielsen said Porter’s has additional plans for its tablet-based POS.

“We are going to integrate it with a Keen IO analytics system,” said Nielsen. “You can really export any data; the Springboard system is very extendable.”

Porter’s is also looking toward using Springboard’s upcoming integration with e-commerce software provider Shopify to support a planned future e-commerce expansion, and generally sees the Springboard platform as supportive of growth.

“We’re always looking at new markets,” stated Nielsen.